A pair of national representatives put about a dozen promising young baseballers through their paces yesterday in search of diamonds in the rough at Carlton Street Reserve.
Diamond Blacks second baseman Daniel Tan and pitcher Riki Paewai - whose fastball once registered a rapid 96mph (154.5km/h) on the radar gun - led the little legion of under-12s through throwing, running and hitting drills as the search for players for the Ripken World Series continued.
Matthew Collins of Tauranga Baseball, a former winner of the World Series with the New Zealand youth softball side in 1989, believes the advantages of offering baseball as an option are just too great to pass up.
"I think it's time to give the kids another choice; there are so many pathways available to them in baseball," Collins said.
"From what you can see today, we have two New Zealand baseball players who are full-time and get paid - I'm not sure if any softballers get that."